6 



FARMERS BULLETIN 814. 



from the application of lime in any form, though similar tests at the 

 Tennessee station have indicated a moderate benefit. While the 

 presence or absence of lime may not influence the yield, it apparently 

 influences the quality. Live-stock dealers and butchers in Mobile 

 and New Orleans have stated repeatedly that they can recognize 

 cattle that have been raised in a limestone region and that these cattle 

 always bring the highest price. 



Bermuda grass does best on a fertile soil which is fairly moist, well 

 drained, and rich in humus and nitrogen. 



DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES. 



The accompanying map (fig. 2) shows approximately the region 

 in which Bermuda grass has become naturalized and is more or less 

 profitable. The shaded portion marks the region where the grass is 

 grown most extensively. In warm valleys and specially favorable 

 locations it often grows for some distance north of the limit shown. 

 Bermuda grass grows well in many parts of California, but is util- 

 ized there mainly for lawns, rarely for hay or pasture. It is often a 

 troublesome weed in alfalfa fields and is objectionable on the banks 

 of irrigation ditches, as its runners often spread so as to obstruct the 

 flow of water. East of the 'one hundredth meridian the northern 

 limit of its profitable growth is about the same as the southern 

 limit for the growth of Kentucky bluegrass, though in many places 

 the ground is occupied by a more or less uneven mixture of the two. 

 It is not common north of the Potomac and Ohio Kivers or north 

 of the Missouri Kiver east of Kansas City. 



FIG. 2. Map of the United States, showing the distribution of Bermuda grass. The upper line 

 indicates its northern limit, but the grass is of most value in the shaded area. 



